Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-0 at Selhurst Park

Manchester City tightened their grip on the Premier League title race with a controlled 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday, powered by another brace from Erling Haaland and a clinical finish from Phil Foden. The result keeps City firmly in pursuit of leaders Arsenal and underlined the champions’ ruthlessness in a match where Palace’s missed chances proved costly.​

Oliver Glasner’s Palace made the brighter start, unsettling City with aggressive pressing and quick transitions in wide areas. Yeremy Pino and Adam Wharton both struck the woodwork in the opening stages, while the hosts forced several nervous moments in the visitors’ back line without finding a decisive final touch. That wastefulness invited punishment, and City obliged shortly before half-time when Matheus Nunes picked out Haaland with a deep cross that the Norwegian powered past Dean Henderson with a towering back-post header.​

After the break Palace again threatened briefly, with Wharton clipping the outside of the post as the home fans sensed a possible route back into the game. However, City gradually reasserted control, and the contest swung decisively in the 69th minute when Phil Foden collected the ball outside the box and drilled a precise low strike into the corner to double the advantage, continuing his prolific recent run of form. From that moment the champions managed the tempo, denying Palace sustained pressure and picking their moments to counter.​

As Palace pushed forward late on, gaps began to open, and City’s composure in attack again proved the difference. Substitute Savinho burst into the area in the closing minutes and was felled by Henderson, leaving the referee with little choice but to award a penalty. Haaland stepped up and coolly converted from the spot to seal his second of the afternoon and wrap up a scoreline that reflected City’s efficiency rather than Palace’s overall contribution.​

The victory keeps Manchester City in second place and within striking distance of Arsenal, maintaining the pressure at the top as the season moves into its decisive winter phase. For Palace, the defeat was a frustrating reminder of the fine margins at this level: a performance full of intensity and ambition but undermined by profligacy in front of goal and punished by the ruthless finishing of one of Europe’s deadliest attacks.​

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